Tommy Rees will play pivotal role as Alabama looks to return to College Football Playoff in 2023

Tommy Rees has a pivotal role for Alabama this season as the Crimson Tide look to get back to the College Football Playoff.

The offensive philosophy will look a little different than the past few years due to a change at quarterback. Generally, it’s been Heisman candidate after Heisman candidate since Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa.

On3’s J.D. PicKell put more emphasis on Rees, the new Alabama offensive coordinator, to get things done this year.

“Alabama, in my opinion, is going through a philosophy shift back to what they were and what they were is bully ball is the word that comes to mind or the phrase that comes to mind, is game control,” PicKell said on The Hard Count. “How do you control the game? You control the line of scrimmage? How do you control the line of scrimmage? Offensively, you’ve run the ball effectively. And we’ve seen Tommy Rees when he was at Notre Dame, they ran the ball really effectively, almost 200 yards a game on the ground for the Fighting Irish. And so the reason why I think Tommy Rees holds the keys for Alabama, we don’t know who’s playing quarterback.”

Jalen Milroe and Ty Simpson seem to be the logical fits at quarterback. But former Notre Dame quarterback Tyler Buchner followed Rees to Tuscaloosa, making the competition that much more interesting.

“Like I would love to sit here and tell you that Jalen Milroe is going to be this, that and the other for Alabama … so that then puts the responsibility on the defense or whatever it ends up being. We don’t know,” PicKell said. “Could Jalen Milroe, could be Tyler Buchner, could be Ty Simpson, like we just don’t know … I believe that Alabama’s engine of this offense (will need to) be the O-line … Quarterback’s going to be the guy that just can’t miss the open shot and put us in good positions. But Tommy Rees is going to be the architect of this offense that needs to be consistently in third and two, third and three. 

“Okay, we picked that up, now keep the chains moving and take time off the clock, put our defense in good positions. Like it all starts with how you call the game and how you approach the game. And a big part of that obviously is going to be on Tommy Rees as the OC for Alabama. He’s the mastermind behind all this now.”

But the new philosophy under Rees at Alabama is a call back to old school football. And if that leads to a lot of winning, no one will bat an eye.

“And so the shift back to game control bully ball Bama starts with Tommy Rees, and if Bama can play game control on offense, the defense, one, gets to rest because you’re watching your offense go for a 10 play driving score,” PicKell said. “Also, it probably puts them in good positions. 

“Like if you’re playing game control effectively, you pick up a couple of first downs, take some time off the clock and worst case scenario, punt it back to your opposition and give the defense a little bit of breathing room. Now, I don’t think anybody in Alabama is scheming for a good punt game, but you hear what I’m saying. Tommy Rees, game control, all that it starts with him as the OC.”